More and more were attracted to the massacre. It was like sheep being led to the slaughter. His senses heightened he felt like he was moving in slow motion. He lowered his shoulder and ran into the next one knocking it to the ground and ended it with a stomp. Then he jumped in the air bringing down the axe cracking the next victim’s skull. “I will send every damn one of you to hell!” He stopped for a second there was a little girl in a flowery dress missing its eyes. “Fuck you!” He stabbed through the eye socket. When he went to pull out the blade it snapped. The next zombie he grabbed by the throat and ripped it out staring into its eyes. Then he grabbed the spine and pulled the opposite direction snapping the spinal cord.
When he was done completing his mission he stopped and looked around. There were at least twenty zombies lying on the hard pavement. He took deep breathes to slow down his heart rate. His hands were shaking. His face, arms, hands and clothes were soaked in the dark black, thick, coagulated blood. He went body to body making sure each one was dead. If the face was intact he chopped off the head and peeled off the faces as he had done before. He brought them all inside and scrapped off any remaining fat and sinews. He pulled out the salt and salted them down.
Afterwards he took a shower washing all the blood off. When it clogged from time to time he would reach down and push the blood through with his fingers until the drain was free. He scrubbed his hair and body down until the water ran clear. He checked the closet and pulled out his sons clothes and put them on. He went to his pack and pulled out a wet stone. Then he turned on the TV switching channels until there was something on that did not report the apocalypse outside. He then grabbed his axe and proceeded to sharpen it moving the stone in a circular motion switching sides often removing the burr until he was satisfied it was sharp enough.
He stripped himself of what he was before. He was no longer Travis but Plague.
Chapter 11 Cowan
Cowan started to day dream a bit about his life before the shit storm hit the world. Cowan had a troubled youth. His parents moved constantly. It seemed like year after year they would move. They would blame it on him and all the trouble that he caused. He was a pudgy little boy and was constantly picked on because of his weight. Cowan would not allow himself to be picked on. He started fights and won most of them. He was constantly being suspended which would eventually lead to being expelled from school. Then his parents would pick up and move again to a new city. His father could not keep a steady job. His father never finished his high school diploma and any good job he would get he would lose in a matter of months until he finally gave up and worked construction. His mom was the bread winner in the family and she made sure his father knew that.
She would hold it over his head that she brought in the money not him. Unlike his father she finished high school and eventually got her nursing degree at night school. She worked full time during the day and would bring Cowan along at night to her classes. She was not comfortable with keeping him with his father at night. His father would constantly get drunk at night and forget all about his son. There were nights where he had to fend for himself. Which did not really bother Cowan. He understood that his mom was over whelmed with school and work which just made him loathe his father even more. He couldn’t understand why his mom just didn’t leave his father. He was a nobody and going nowhere fast. He would drown himself in his studies or television whenever his parent’s would fight. Which was almost every night before his mom and him left for her class.
There were times where his mom would threaten to leave and almost did several times. She would take her suitcase and tell him to pack his clothes and they would head off to her sister’s house. He enjoyed these times because they were peaceful. No one bothered him and best of all there was no fighting. They even had the latest video games even though his aunt and uncle had no kids. He would imagine they bought it just for him when he came over.
High school was not much better. He still had few friends and was constantly the new kid in town which brought its own problems. He was slimmer now and played sports but he never felt connected to anyone until he met Ralph. He envied Ralph. His parents were constantly gone but he had everything he could ever want. When his parent’s left his big brother would watch over him. Ralph was nothing but trouble though. Ralph taught him how to boost cars, pick pocket people, and taught him a little bit of mixed martial arts and watched K1 fighting. His favorite fighter was Ernesto Hoost. Ernesto Hoost was nick named “Mr. Perfect.”
Then Cowan’s world came crashing down when he was sent to school for challenged teens. The school was much like the military. They learned to march. The school had their own version of drill sergeants. They were treated like crap for the first few months before the drill sergeants eased up on them a bit but not too much. Cowan was still very defiant and got in trouble a lot. He never really gave it much thought until one of the drill sergeants pulled him aside and talked to him. “You know Cowan you are real confrontational. That can be a bad thing or a good thing. You need to be the one that decides which one. Learn to use it to your advantage.”
Cowan later graduated with his mom showing up proud of him. His dad never showed. Cowan just assumed he was drunk somewhere. “Hey dear I am so glad you graduated. You know that I had to put you in there so you would not come out like your dad.” “Yeah I know mom I don’t resent you at all.” His mom’s eyes started to water as the first tear rolled down her face over her cheek bones and fell down off her face as she grabbed him and embraced him hard not wanting to let go. “So what now graduate,” she said as her face was beaming with pride. She wiped away her tears of joy and hugged him once more. “I think I am going to enlist in the army mom.” It hit her like a ton of bricks and her heart fell as he said the words to her. She was taken back and surprised at what he said. She wanted him so desperately to go to college and make something of himself. Noticing his words hurt his mom he came back and replied, “I mean the national guard. That way I won’t be far from home.” She just took him again and embraced him. “You are so thin now,” she said looking at him really noticing him for the first time. “Did they not feed you well son?” “Yes mom,” he said a little bit annoyed that she was treating him like a child. “Well when we get home we will fatten you up a little bit.” “Ok.”
Cowan decided as soon as he got home he would be heading over to the recruiter’s office. It was a chance for him to actually do something with his life something meaningful. He thought about it on the short drive home. He pondered what would he do in the army. There were not many jobs that came to mind. He was sure he did not want to be infantry. Although the thought of combat did intrigue him a little bit. He just didn’t want to be that guy one who would be considered an idiot and just a robot following commands.
When Cowan got home it was to no surprise that his dad was passed out on the couch in his tighty whiteys. With his beer gut hanging over disgustingly. He did not want to turn out like his dad. He did not want to be dependent upon anyone like his dad was. He got upset at his mom for enabling him to be the way he was, a piece of shit. His mom cooked him his favorite meal, steak and potatoes. He devoured the home cooked meal which he did not have for years. They ate at a chow hall. The food was bland and typically the same thing. They had the option between chicken and tilapia fish. “I am going tomorrow to the national guard recruiter’s office,” he said between mouthfuls. “So you are really going to go through with it then?” “Yes I need something to do with my life and I think that is a good start.” “Well dear I can try to get you a job at the hospital where I work. I think that would be good for you. It will be an entry level position but you can get some experience and find a better job within the hospital.” He put down his fork and knife giving his mom his full attention. “Yeah that would be great. Just let me get through training first and then we can explore that option later down the road. Ok?” He said with sincerity. “Ok dear just finish your dinner.”
It felt good and weird at
the same time for him to be able to sleep in his old room. The bed was inviting and a lot better than the crappy thin mattresses he was so used to. He took off the sheets and remade the bed making sure there were no wrinkles in it and made hospital corners making sure the crease was at a forty five degree angle. Then he tucked the comforter tight underneath the mattress like he had learned to do a few years ago. It was ingrained in him. The next morning he got up and headed out the door to the recruiters office. The building to his surprise was a little bit run down and was not in the best place in town. He figured the recruiter’s office would be a lot nicer and inviting saying come in and see what we have to offer. What he saw was letters he could barely make out which read Army National Guard in red. Some of the letters were missing completely and the remaining pieces were partially scraped off. He pushed the door open and walked in. “What can I do for you?” The voice was raspy and deep. What the fuck can you do for me he thought to himself? What the hell do you think I came in for? He decided to be polite and not confrontational. Remembering what his drill sergeant at the academy had told him. “Well I want to join.” “Well sir you came to the right place. Is there anything you are interested in? The army has a lot of jobs to offer to someone such as yourself.” The man rambled off a few jobs that were supposedly available to him until the recruiter said combat engineer. “Wait what was that last one?” “Oh supply?” “No the one before that,” said Cowan a little bit irritated with the man. “Combat engineer?” “Yes that one sir.” “What does that all entail? And don’t bullshit me! You don’t have to give me all these lines because I am going to join I’m just not sure what I want to do yet.”
The man gave a slight grin as the edges of his lips curled upwards. “Alright buddy you do a lot of things that infantry do. You bust down doors, clear rooms, and the best part is you work with explosives!” This peaked Cowan’s interest. This seemed like what he was looking for in a job. “Well sign me up. I think that is what I want to do.” “Well hold on hero. First we have to go through the screening process first. Let’s go over a few things.” Cowan and the man went through the process. “Well I think we can go ahead and move forward with getting your military career started. I just need you to fill out an application online first.” “An application?” He wasn’t applying for a job in the literal sense. He was joining the military and there’s an application? The man behind the desk stood up. “Here take a seat you can go ahead and apply here.” Cowan walked over around the desk and sat down. The application took him two hours. Meanwhile the man was talking on the phone to other applicants. “Sir I am done with the application.” “Ok well just go home and I will have to setup a time for you to go to the military entrance processing station or MEPS for short.” Cowan irritated said, “Ok.” He walked out the door but turned around one time to look at the soldier in his uniform.
Cowan eventually made it up to MEPs and was waiting to head out to basic training and advance individual training. Basic training and advance individual training was a lot like the academy. They were first treated like shit but then little by little they eased up unless the young soldiers screwed up. Upon graduation Cowan’s mom was the only one that showed up again. He was actually happy his dead beat father never showed up. He was just an embarrassment to him and he really did not want to be seen around him. He hated his father and now that hatred grew even more. He showed his mom to Hobbs who became his friend during the training. “Mom here is Hobbs he was my battle buddy during training. Get this he is going to be in the same unit that I am going to be in.” She just smiled. “Nice to meet you.” “Nice to meet you too Ma’am.”
Now since training was over with it was time to head on home. He noticed his mom seem kind of quiet like there was something that was bothering her but was not letting on to what it. They stopped off to get something to eat. She parked the car and paused for a moment. “Mom what is wrong?” Her shoulders moved up and down and she tried to fight back the tears. She took a deep breath and turned towards Cowan. “It’s your father.” Cowan’s face reddened at her mentioning him. “What did that sack of shit do now!” “Watch your language.” “Sorry mom but that is what he is a sack of shit. All he does all day is sit around and get drunk. You should have left him years ago.” Then his tone changed knowing something was wrong. “Your father died two months ago…” Her voice trailed off not believing her own words. “He was hit by a drunk driver. We got into a fight right before it happened. He wanted me to drive him to the store but I refused. Then he demanded the keys and I told him he can’t drive in the condition he was in and he would kill someone. Well he just stormed out the door and I presume he was heading towards the closest store. He didn’t come home for hours. Understand I was so upset with him. I just couldn’t take it anymore. Then the police showed up at the house.” “I am sorry mom.” Her tears flowed freely now. She sniffed a few times. “They said he was killed by a drunk driver.” She buried her face in her hands. Cowan reached over and gave her a hug. He did not feel bad that his father died. He was glad it happened. He just felt sorry for his mom seeing her this way. “It’s ok mom. You are better off without him. I know it hurts but we just have to be strong.”
She wiped her tears away from her face. “I am sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. I just didn’t want to interrupt your training and I didn’t have the heart to tell you.” He looked into her eyes. She had black circles and her mascara started to run down leaving black streaks. He wiped her face with his hands in a loving gesture. “Mom it is not your fault. It was bound to happen. He would have drank himself to death or worse he would have killed someone else in the process.” “If I had just taken him then he would still be alive.” She managed to get out. “Mom it is ok. Like I said if you didn’t he would have ended up killing someone else.” She wiped her face once more. “Ok let’s get something to eat.” The two just rode the rest of the way home in silence.
When Cowan got home he was a little bit surprised. He opened the door and still expected to see his dad drunk slobbering all over himself in the brown recliner. It just made things seem out of place. He was so used to seeing him and hating. Now he hated him for a different reason. The fire brewed within him as he thought about what he did to his mom all these years. Even after his passing he was still bringing pain upon his mom. He could care less if he was still there or not but since it hurt his mom he could never forgive him. He pushed the recliner on the short carpet to the dining room. He got up and pushed the table out of the way with the chairs still tucked underneath the table. He opened the glass sliding door and pulled the recliner outside. He went into the shed and searched for the lighter fluid.
He took the bottle of lighter fluid and sprayed down the chair. Once the bottle was empty he flung it to the side and went back into the shed and grabbed a set of matches. He bent the book of matches backwards as he struck the match and lit the book of matches and threw it on the recliner. He sat there watching it as it burned. The flames grew higher and higher. His face started to sweat from the heat. His mom just looked in bewilderment that her son would do such a thing. “Burn you piece of shit,” he muttered to himself. His mom was going to say something but didn’t. This was his way of dealing with it she thought to herself. Cowan watched it burn until there was only a shell of the recliner and all that was left were the metal frames that failed to burn. He grabbed the hose and sprayed it down as steam rose up from the heat meeting the cold. When it was cool enough he grabbed what remained of the recliner and dragged it out to the front of the lawn near the edge of the road for the garbage truck to come and pick it up. Then he went back in to comfort his mom.
Cowan got a job at the hospital being an ER check in processor. The job was boring. It was the same thing every day. He would talk to patients and ask them if they had insurance and entered the information into the system and sent them on their way. The only thing he looked forward to was one weekend a month when he would go to drill. That is when he was able to get his aggression and
anger out. He would be happy when they would go to the field and blow stuff up.
Then he met Carrie, from work, who would eventually end up being his wife and the love of his life. After a few dates they were now going steady. Carrie stuck with Cowan as he went onto his deployment and wrote him as often as she could. There were a few times where he was able to call home. When he got back it was hard for him to adjust back into civilian life with all the horrors he had seen. Carrie and Cowan got married when he got back. Then when there was a second deployment things got rough for him. In the middle of deployment was when he got the dreaded Dear John letter.
Cowan received the letter. It was always a treasure when he received letters from her. The envelope smelled of her perfume. It was a sweet aroma he would never forget. Eagerly he opened the letter and began to read. Cowan, I know these last few months have been hard on you and I don’t want to fight and make things worse. I have been doing a lot of thinking. At that point Cowan’s heart dropped and he felt like he was punched in the gut. He took a few moments and paused before continuing on. I just can’t do this anymore. You being in the military and all. These deployments, I just can’t handle it. I never know when I will receive a letter of your death. I just cry myself to sleep wondering if you would ever make it home. I have a hard time concentrating at work. I know this is not what you want to hear. As I write this letter it becomes harder and harder to finish. I am not sleeping and I have not really been eating either. I just can’t take it anymore. I have stayed loyal and true to you but I have needs that you just can’t meet anymore. You are way over there and I am over here. You still have six months left before you are able to come home. Cowan, know that I love you. I really do but I just can’t stay. I know this is not what you want to hear but I just can’t keep worrying over you anymore. I need to move on with my life. Maybe when you get back things will be different. I don’t regret anything and I wish things were different but they aren’t. Neither you nor I can change that right now. I love you but this is good bye. Cowan crumpled up the paper and threw it on the ground.
Alpha of the Omega Page 14
